


The Revenge of Dark Alfonse

by BraveInvisibleWorld



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Character Death, Crack, Dark Crack, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vore, not really graphic vore, this whole fic is weird
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-01-10 09:54:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12296718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BraveInvisibleWorld/pseuds/BraveInvisibleWorld
Summary: Alfonse's gone mad with love and jealousy. Just how will this darkness affect him, his love, and possibly the entire world itself?





	1. Chad Thundercock Gets Thunderrocked

Chapter One: Chad Thundercock Gets Thunderrocked

Life was simply great for Reinhardt. In a brand new world, he can fight for what he truly believes in without his other duties back at home breathing down his neck. He was beloved by many for his fierce and quick victories and became one of the most renowned mages in all of Zenith. Most of all, he was given the honor of being the closest to the tactician of the group, Kiran. Truly, Kiran was quite smitten with Reinhardt. Within six months, their bond had grown farther than everyone else’s. And through their marriage, Reinhardt’s true potential would become even greater. However, jealousy burned through the veins of the lonely prince of the kingdom, Alfonse.

 

For a very long time, Alfonse was perplexed and dazzled by Kiran’s confidence, and he decided that the only person he could truly dedicate and entrust his entire being to was the charismatic tactician. Many people had entered and left his life, so the prince wanted someone to make him feel anchored to this world, but Kiran never noticed his advances or even felt the same about him.

 

_ How dare that inconsiderate nerd, _ Alfonse thought angrily,  _ take away MY beloved. I was always there for you, Kiran. I accepted you into the kingdom. I gave you the position of tactician. I even lent you that money to buy more orbs! In the end, I’ve been replaced. With my exact opposite. A shining mage knight with that disgusting blue tome. Well, today I will assert that the higher power of this kingdom is ME, and it WILL stay as that.  _ With that, Alfonse took off, his aura and heart becoming darker and muddled with every passing second. The innocent youth was no more. There standing was a terrible being of hatred. It was Dark Alfonse, the true, personality of the prince that had finally manifested to the surface of his mind and body.

 

***

 

Like any other day, Reinhardt rode his steed into the arena, tome in hand, chest puffed, dick bulging. There were piles of bricks in front of him with no way around them, and he let out an exhausted sigh. Minutes later, the walls were demolished as Reinhardt stared at the silhouette in the clouds of dust. He made out a boy with a sword and smirked. This was just ordinary work. Suddenly the boy called out.

 

“Nice meeting you here, Reinhardt.”

 

Reinhardt furrowed his brows. “Prince Alfonse? What are you doing in the arena? Aren’t you from our world?”

 

Alfonse chuckled. “Oh, pardon me, Reinhardt. I was just giving a tour to our guests.”

 

“You’re helping the enemy team?!”

 

“My, my. Are you scared of my superior tactics being used against you?”

 

“Alfonse, you’ve always been sitting on that bench with a frown on your face. I have never seen you study, much less give advice to Kiran.”

 

“Well, Reinhardt, I’ve learned a thing or two from watching you from the sidelines.”

 

“And what’s that?” Reinhardt stifled a laugh. This boy was a meek soldier and an even more pathetic prince. Alfonse had little will and would easily cry at the thought of Kiran touching someone else’s face. There was nothing to fear from him.

 

“Magic…. Is EVERYTHING.” 

 

And from beyond the dust rose the legion of despair that seemed to taunt Reinhardt in his darkest nightmares. First came the beautiful but deadly Sonya with her strangely unproportional chest and Dark Excalibur ripping itself apart from the winds it summoned as she flipped her hair, proud and mischievous. Next came the small child, Nino, who tightly clutched her Gronnblade and had her mouth slightly agape as if she was already quietly reciting her spells to pierce through him. Lastly, his true nemesis stepped out from the haze, her calm eyes boring right into his own, as if he were nothing more than a pretend god facing the almighty powers of the universe itself. Julia saw right through him, as if his body were made of glass, and it was that ever silent nature of hers that utterly terrified him. She seemed to know only one objective in her mind, and it was to destroy him.

 

Reinhardt nearly fell off his horse. “Alfonse… that team composition simply won’t work,” he laughed nervously. “You do realize that there’s my other teammates to deal with.”

 

Alfonse giggled. “Didn’t you notice?” He shook his sword about him. “No one else is here.”

 

Reinhardt’s eyes widened in shock. “Th-that… that’s impossible… There’s no way this is a fair fight.”

 

“Of course not!” An ominous shadow cast over the terrible prince’s face. “I’m here to win, no matter what. Get him, girls!”

 

“Do my best!” 

 

“Let’s have some fun.”

 

“Away with you!”

 

And in a horrific clash of swords, dragons, and winds, the top fighter of Zenith was gone. His tome disintegrated, his chest ripped into, his dick deflated. Reinhardt died instantly.

 

With that, Dark Alfonse threw Reinhardt’s body back into the gate to his original world and thanked the crew of mages with a large bag of feathers. Elated, Alfonse prepared to enjoy the rest of his days living in a slow, comforting romance with Kiran. But this was not a story of love.

 

It can only end in a tragedy.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this entire thing is riddled with stupid jokes my friends made up


	2. The Birth of Death Itself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a wise man once said, "Magic is everything."

After being dumped through the gate, Reinhardt’s mangled body landed before the Blaggi Church. Blood was still oozing out of the wounds as the church doors opened with a bang.

 

The bishop, Saias, ran towards Reinhardt’s body. He closed his eyes in disbelief, and looked back upon the injuries inflicted on the mage. Suddenly, he noticed something strange about Reinhardt’s body.

 

“Could it be… you’re still clinging onto life?” he gasped.

 

Saias then decided to invoke a massive risk. He wanted to resurrect Reinhardt.

 

“It won’t be enough. He’ll still die if I…” Saias trailed off. “I have to let Reinhardt know that this is happening before he fully passes on.” He gathered his courage to invoke the spell.

 

Within minutes, Reinhardt’s head started to move. He creaked open his eyes and saw the brilliant tactician before him. “S-saias…” he moaned. “The... prince of Zenith… did this.”

 

“Zenith? Is that where you went?”

 

“Y-yes… now that I’ve warned you… I must return. This… isn’t natural.”

 

“Please, Reinhardt you need to stay with me so you can at least see your child,” Saias whispered.

 

“M-my… what?” Reinhardt asked.

 

“My lord, I don’t know how to put this, but… you’re carrying a child.”

 

It turned out that the attack from the might of the formidable green mages had fucked over Reinhardt so hard that he was pregnant.

Reinhardt’s body shook in pain. “I… I cannot believe…”

 

“It’s ok, Reinhardt. I’ll help you. Your last moments will be peaceful.”

 

And so, the Thunder’s Fist brought a new life into the world. Her eyes were a bright shade of blue, and her hair was a brilliant green hue. However, the most unsettling thing about her was her slow heartbeat and lack of crying. Perhaps it was from being born from a man that was supposed to be dead or being born from excruciatingly painful magic itself, but it was clear that the baby was walking between a fine line of life and death. She seemed to be a zombie.

 

Reinhardt stared at his daughter. He knew that she needed a strong name. What he saw  was the spark in her eyes that reminded him of a shining star filled with hope and potential, and it was only fitting she were to take her name, even if said star had played a part in taking his life and honor. He coughed and held Saias’ hand. “Make sure that she’ll always… do… her best…” he said as he slipped away once again into the clutches of death, this time for good.

 

Saias solemnly swore that he would give his all for the sake Reinhardt’s tragic fate.

 

***

 

Days had passed since Reinhardt’s disappearance. Kiran stared at the vacant spot at the front of the castle, where Reinhardt always sat. Alfonse approached them.

 

“Oh, Kiran. We have to move on,” he said.

 

“Alfonse, he was the most reliable unit here.”

 

“Well, maybe someone else should fill in Reinhardt’s shoes. Perhaps there’s someone else you would consider for next leader.”

 

Kiran lit up. “I get it now! I’ll summon a new mage and hope they’ll be friends with me! Maybe I’ll even meet Reinhardt again! Thanks, Alfonse,” they said as they ran towards the summoning altar.

 

Alfonse gazed at Kiran’s back in shock. “They’re… still not noticing me,” he sighed. “At least I had a backup plan.” He walked away to throw out a bag filled to the brim with blue summoning stones. Just before he had dumped the orbs into another gate, Alfonse felt a small twinge of guilt, but then remembered that the biggest threat to him was the possibility of more foes with a weapon advantage. _To hell with the blue meta,_ he thought. _With this, there’s no one else in this world or any other world that could harm me._ He smugly walked away from his personal astral garbage disposal and proceeded to continue his plans.

 

***

 

At the altar, Kiran used the last of their measly orbs, and all of the multicolored stones had shown up as only one color: green. Kiran kick the dirt and spat out curses. “FUCK!” they cried, “It’s never the orb colors I need!” The young tactician sighed and concentrated on a random green orb, and out of the mist was a teenage girl.

 

“Hi, I’m Nino! I’m just a regular old mage,” she greeted.

 

Kiran examined her closely. “Huh, I’ve never summoned Nino before. How good are you at magic?”

 

“Well, I learned from the best, of course!” she giggled. “I also know a lot about the heroes here, so I can help you organize!”

 

“Amazing! I think we’ll be good partners, Nino.”

 

She smiled as they started discussing several battle tactics, and Kiran had already befriended her within minutes.

 

***

 

As Kiran and Nino walked back into the castle, Alfonse said his salutations and put on his happy face for the tactician. Kiran then left Nino with the prince and went to prepare his other units for battle. Alfonse shook hands with Nino, absolutely disgusted at the thought of being friendly with his replacement’s replacement. His hands froze -- figuratively and literally -- as he grasped his fingers around her hand. She was colder than ice. Nino pulled her face close to Alfonse’s ear. The young man tensed up, his chest was beating hard.

 

“Prince of Zenith,” she whispered, “I know you killed my father.” She released him. “I will become what you were to my father: his adversary. And I will kill you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's nino! and it's only gonna get weirder from here


	3. The Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension rises as Kiran takes a break for a day.

Weeks had blurred by Alfonse. He was jealous once again of another person who had most of Kiran’s attention: Nino. She was a star pupil and was always praised by them for her quirky little “Do my best!” chant and her Gronnblade tome. And yet, something was completely unnatural about her. Alfonse didn’t understand her claim to be Reinhardt’s child and was chilled to the bone every time they would happen to brush past each other in the halls. He swore up and down that she was some kind of monster, possibly a hidden experiment from Reinhardt’s paranoia of being attacked, but she seemed much like the Nino he teamed up with to kill Reinhardt: a perfectly normal-looking girl with green hair, who just so happens to possess a kind heart in a cold, unfeeling body.

 

It was only then on a dreadful, graying day did Alfonse see the true side to her friendly persona.

 

Kiran had been busy, muttering something about their “wifi” cutting in and out, so everyone seemed to have that day off. Zenith was covered in drab colors throughout the day, wind nearly snapping at the skinny trees and whipping at the tall flowers and plants. Alfonse stared off into the distance, wondering when his crush will return. He walked over to the main area of the castle, and the entire place had been emptied. Noticing that for once the leader’s spot was open, he sat down and quietly reflected on his uneasiness, hoping to bring himself closer to Kiran.

 

 _I’ve snapped,_ he thought. _I’m… different. I never thought that feeling and acting upon this rage would make me so… powerful. I’ll won’t regret ever embracing this darkness. From now on, it’s Dark Alfonse in charge. No more playing around._ And with that, he steeled his resolve to keep pursuing his dream of being with Kiran. _No matter what the cost is, I’ll go all or nothing. I can’t go back, not when I’ve come this far,_ he swore to himself. _And that means Nino will have to go._ The prince stood up and gripped the handle of his sword tightly. Suddenly, the lamps around the foyer went out. The sky had turned pitch black, and with a roar of thunder, a flash of green cut into Alfonse’s side.

 

The boy staggered and held his side. In the darkness, a small light from a tome illuminated the figure of a girl, with eyes glowing like hot iron and a face as grim as the turbulent weather outside.

 

“Hello, Prince Alfonse,” Nino sang out.

 

“You--!” he cried out. The prince drew his sword quickly. “Just what do you think you’re up against?!”

 

“You murdered my father,” she replied coldly. “It’s only logical that I would seek out justice.”

Alfonse scoffed struck her in the chest. “Well, you’ve made it easy for me to wipe out the last of his legacy. You’ve got a lot of nerve to just take over as leader for Kiran and threaten the royalty of this kingdom. Honestly, I was worried about you ambushing me, but you couldn’t even kill me right away.” He drove his sword deeper into her heart. “Some leader you are. You’re no match for Kiran’s stra-- ARGGHHH!” Multiple green blades blades burst into Alfonse’s body, and he quickly backed up, leaving the sword in Nino.

 

“What was that last bit again?” she smugly inquired as she slowly pulled the blade out from her body. Blood gushed out of the wound, but she seemed as cheerful as ever. The wind picked up around her and twisted into more razor-edged swords, each one illuminated by the short flashes of lightning from the ongoing storm.

 

“Y-you… you don’t have a heart?” Alfonse gasped. “Just what are you? You.. you have to be some kind of monster!”

 

“I am exactly what I’ve told you all those weeks ago: the child of Reinhardt. I was born from his dying body and the magic that killed him. Because of that, I am not alive like you. I am essentially a zombie.”

 

“What?! Then why would you target me? I’m the one responsible for your creation!”

 

“I NEVER ASKED TO BE CREATED!” she shouted as she launched the next volley of swords. Alfonse slashed through some of the projectiles, but couldn’t prevent the blades from cutting into his left arm. Nino heaved and stood up straight.

 

“My very existence is a painful one. I don’t know when ‘death’ is for me. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I can’t feel with a heart. I don’t know what it’s really like to be a true human. Whenever Aunt Olwen and Father Saias look at me, they’ll always be reminded of him. But knowing that you’re still around frustrates me to no end. I will bring a conclusion to my family and the people who had cared for my father. Someone like you will bring nothing but pain and misery for such a selfish cause, and it disgusts me to my core. My father simply wanted a life where he could be a hero and fight for a noble cause without feeling guilt. Because of you, he’s gone, but I want to carry out his dreams to see them fully realized. And that’s why I swear I will eliminate you and save this world from your darkness!”

 

She charged up another round of Gronnblade, but Alfonse tackled her frantically and wrenched his sword out of her hand. He rolled back and slashed at her forearm. She screamed as the limb was cut off, and her spell fired rapidly in response to her loss of focus. Alfonse’s weak resistance easily succumbed to deadly magic, and he dragged himself away from the mage.

 

He glared at her and roared, “I’LL KILL YOU! THERE WILL BE NO MERCY! I DON’T CARE FOR YOU OR YOUR FATHER! KIRAN IS MINE! THEY’LL ALWAYS BE MINE! MINE ALONE!” And suddenly, a cloudy darkness rushed out of Alfonse’s wounds. He screamed as the black matter set his skin ablaze and forced his cells to to repair themselves. “I’LL WIN NO MATTER WHAT! BECAUSE THE POWER OF DARKNESS IS ON MY SIDE!” Dark Alfonse had surfaced once again. He rushed up to Nino to quickly finish her off, but then she gripped one of her own Gronnblades with her remaining hand and locked weapons with the dark prince.

 

They struggled at a standstill until Nino quickly conjured another wave of blades beneath their feet and grimaced as she launched them, piercing both herself and her opponent. Dark Alfonse dropped to his knees, panting hard. When he glanced up, he saw Nino taking her severed arm and running out into the tempest. She pulled up her hood and  looked back at him.

 

“This will not be the end. I swear that I’ll come back to finish the job.”

 

And with that, she left behind Askr and set off into Zenith alone under that dreary sky, as if she was the only wandering light left in the world.


	4. Descent to Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The true beginning... starts now.

Kiran was upset, to put it lightly. After they had returned and found out that Nino had disappeared like Reinhardt, they locked themselves up into a room sobbing uncontrollably about orbs. Alfonse had attempted to comfort them many times but was always rejected. One day he asked Kiran this:

 

“Kiran, we have to keep strengthening our units for future battles. At this rate, nothing will get done. Why don’t you spend some time with skill inheritance?”

 

“Who cares, Alpine?”

 

“Kiran, you need some support. Why don’t you talk about tactics to me? I’m sure I can help you with something.”

 

“Alanzo you can go ahead and mess around with skill inheritance without me. I’ll just mope around until I can buy some more orbs.”

 

“Really?” Alfonse’s eyes widened. “You’ll entrust me with the army?”

 

“Sure, whatever. I really don’t care as long as those skills are put to good use. Just leave me alone.”

 

The prince shuffled away, with another devious plan brewing.  _ Well those skills are certainly going to be put to good use,  _ he thought.  _ By me of course… _

 

***

 

“Hello, Henry,” Alfonse greeted. “Kiran has said it’s time to let you go. Just teach me how to use Ignis, and you’ll be done with your work here.”

 

“What? So soon?” Henry asked. “There’s no way I can go back home right now! There’s so much bloodshed to see! Places to be! Puns to crack! I’ll probably never get another chance to meet other dark mages from faraway worlds. I think I’d rather stay.”

 

Alfonse’s mouth twitched. “See the thing is… You don’t necessarily have a choice in this matter.”

 

“Oh? And why’s that?”

 

“Because I am the one who decides between life and death now.” Alfonse whacked the twink mage as hard as he could with the flat of his blade and dragged him away.

 

***

Henry awoke in a cold, dark room. He was tied to a table. Standing above him was Alfonse.

 

“Aw, Alfonse are you pulling my leg? Oh, you are. H-hey be careful! I’m pretty scrawny, you know?”

 

Alfonse applied more force and started twisting the leg further. “Just tell me how Ignis works and I’ll let you go.”

 

“Hahaha… are you really that eager to learn? Well, I could tell you, but I’m more interested in what you’ll do if I don’t. You have such a scary look in your eyes!”

 

“If you don’t… you’ll pay the price for resisting.”

 

“BWAHAHAHA! Alfonse, you’re so funny! I never thought you’d try to play bad guy! Just try to scare me. I’m Henry! Nothing scares me!”

 

Frustrated, Dark Alfonse began to surface. “I will murder you and spread the remains of your pathetic self all over the courtyard! Is that what you want?”

 

“Hmm? That’s it? Sounds pretty mundane for a death.”

 

“GAH! JUST GIVE ME THE IGNIS!”

 

“Oh, come now. That’s just too easy for me to do.” Henry suddenly detected the change in Alfonse. “Let me see how far you’re willing to go.”

 

“Grr… you are dead to me!” Alfonse hacked off Henry’s leg in several chops with his sword.

 

“Oh goody! Some blood at last! Ah, such pain is so refreshing,” Henry giggled.

 

“That’s it. I’ll take your Ignis by force.” The prince then channeled his newfound darkness to wrap around Henry. 

 

“That’s new! I’ve never felt like this before! H-ha… it kind of… burns…” the mage gasped. He felt his strength erode away before he felt a strong hand press up against his chest. Alfonse concentrated the darkness around the area and then slid his hand into Henry’s heart, gripping something and ripping it out. It was Henry’s very essence. Alfonse greedily absorbed the soul into his own and then proceeded to stab the dark mage’s chest several times over. He watched the blood ooze right out until Henry had stopped squirming. He was dead.

 

Alfonse grimaced as he realized what he had just done, but he felt so relieved at the same time.  _ How morbid, _ he thought,  _ but that’s just how it is. Either you prove yourself or become fodder.  _ He felt the darkness swirl inside of stomach, aching for more to consume.  _ I have to take more. I need to become stronger than anyone else. That’s what I’ll do to make Kiran look at me. That’s what will make them smile. But first, I’ll need to build up my skills before I can use my new powers… _

 

And for the next several days, Alfonse ran his sword through hundreds of poor victims in the training tower, laughing madly as he felt himself grow deeper into the dark. By the time he finally harnessed the power of Ignis, he was ready to strike at his next prey. 

 

_ Watch out, meta, _ he thought.

 

_ I’m coming for you. _


	5. The Darkening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murder in the streets, emo in the sheets.

For several nights in a row, Alfonse would only train in the tower, claiming hundreds upon hundreds of lives as he grew his skills. He was ecstatic upon finally utilizing Ignis, and so the different levels of the building were consumed in flame until nothing remained but ash. His hunger for more power only grew as he eyed the rest of the army, looking for easy prey. One evening, he finally settled on the Robins as his next test. The two had tactical experience and slowly tried to coax Kiran out of their room with the promise of figuring out how to beat Ursula, who had appeared again near Zenith for some reason.

 

_ Like hell I’ll let them invite ANOTHER blue mage cavalry in, _ he fumed. Starting with the male tactician, the prince encountered Robin in an empty section of the barracks and slammed him into the wall. He snarled at him.

 

“Alfonse!” Robin exclaimed. “Is this some kind of intimidation tactic? It’s kind of silly when it’s you.”

 

“You’re up next for skill inheriting,” Alfonse hissed.

 

“Home already? But Kiran will need me for handing red and colorless enemies--”

 

“Not anymore.” Alfonse’s eyes flashed with an eerie red light as he stabbed him in the chest with a knife. Robin staggered, but then he immediately charged at the young man.  The dagger clattered to the floor. “What?!” Alfonse cried. “That should have been right in the heart!”

 

“I’ve been expecting something like this,” Robin declared boldly. The Shepard pulled up his shirt to reveal a metal breastplate underneath. “Seeing as how Henry probably wouldn’t go back home quietly, I figured that something was up with you.” He kneed Alfonse in the stomach, and the prince keeled over. “You’re acting very strange. You’re acting a lot more vicious in combat, and you’ve managed to destroyed a large part of the tower. You really thought no one would notice? Well, at least me and other me saw what was happening to you. Actually, you could get away with a lot of things because no one really pays attention to you, especially Kir--”

 

“SHUT UP!” Alfonse felt his entire face flush with dark power. “SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!” He lunged for Robin’s leg and dragged the man down to the ground.

 

The tactician stammered, “W-What the--?” He felt himself sinking even further into the floor. A black mass had pooled underneath him. It pulsated and emanated pure malice. A sharp pain suddenly spiked through his leg; Alfonse was glowering as he started to thrust his blade further into the thigh.

 

Robin shrieked. The hot blood spluttered out and dripped into the dark material beneath him. The formless, yet inky substance absorbed the rush of red and suddenly grew even more, as if it was alive. It wrapped around his wounds and locked the white-haired man in place as Alfonse picked up the knife and cut off the straps of the tactician’s chest piece. 

 

“You. Die. Now,” he said through gritted teeth. His hand became shrouded in darkness as he plunged it into the tactician and ripped out his soul. He greedily consumed it, and found it particularly… tasty for some reason. Unbeknownst to the prince, he had consumed what was essentially the soul of Grima, and while that terrible darkness was on a level much greater than a human, it had yielded to Alfonse’s own darkness and was assimilated into it. He watched the lifeless corpse get drowned beneath the murk as he felt his senses sharpen. Someone else was coming in his direction… with the exact aura as Robin.

 

“Perfect timing,” Alfonse calmly said as he straightened his back. “I needed a Tomebreaker anyways.”

 

Female Robin stared at the mess in horror. “What the hell is wrong with you?! You killed him!”

 

“Come now, Robin, I’ll make it painless if you comply.”

 

She scowled. “Are you kidding me? You think I’d let you get away with this?” The new opponent pulled out her tome. “I won’t let you take another life! You’ve gone far enough!”

 

“Have I? Am I close enough yet?”

 

“Wh-what are you say--” In a flash, Alfonse had outsped the young woman and slashed right through her stomach.  She coughed up blood. “H-how…? You only just stole my other self’s skills…”

 

He brought his face close to her ear. “I guess I’m a quick learner.” A wild laugh rang out as the darkness overtook Robin and tore away her essence.

 

Robin spat out, “You bastard… you’re not even… able to learn this skill…” Her eyes shut and she was swallowed into the darkness completely.

 

_ So what?,  _ he thought. _ It’s not about just amassing skills. It’s about showing my dominance over this Kiran-stealing army.  _ Anger boiled in the pit of his stomach, churning the misery and hatred of the raw talent he had stolen.

 

Alfonse walked away from the dark room, leaving it completely spotless.

 

***

 

For the next few nights, he slaughtered units like cattle. He killed again and again and again. He fought the biggest threats of the meta, ranging from Takumi to Hector. He ripped apart the mighty Chrom and stole the light of Aether right from him. He tackled Effie from behind and stabbed her in her ass window. He outsped the Galeforce of Cordelia. He laughed as he defied Lyn’s skills. He collected brave swords, silver swords, ruby swords, wo daos, and killing edges. He mastered every Breaker technique after his murder of Robin and several others, despite the laws of the world preventing any normal person from becoming that powerful. He was equipped for every occasion, perhaps due his determination and the darkness within him unlocked a potential far beyond everything. He destroyed every blue orb that came across his path. He scared off villains away from the castle. He stole feathers and tossed them out after forcing himself to become a five star Hero. He was sure he had finally destroyed all of the obstacles in his path, but it wasn’t until he had run into the Brave Heroes that he finally snapped again.

 

Kiran had finally gotten lucky enough to pull Brave Ike. He then triumphantly took a free Brave Lyn for a brand new team composition. Alfonse analyzed their skills, and they simply did not have a common ability that could be passed. They had been blessed, which meant that no one else in all of the worlds could take that away from them, least of all the dark prince. “Aren’t they just so cool?!” Kiran said excitedly to Alfonse as they left with their new allies to train.

 

The brooding prince locked himself in his room. “WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN?” he screamed. He clawed at his face and cursed the two for having a power far beyond his reach. He could use skills despite incompatibility with his swords and all of the special attacks, but taking away legendary weapons was nearly impossible. Now that skills were being locked to a single unit…

 

“I’ll kill them. I’ll crush them. I won’t stop until I have ALL the anti-meta under my foot.”

 

***

 

And so, the Brave Heroes faced a final confrontation. As soon as Kiran let the two train in the upper towers, Alfonse sprung his trap.

 

Lyn had suddenly woken up in a strange place. In front of her was a brick wall. Behind her was another brick wall. And on her sides...

 

“Shit! It’s this map?!” she yelled. The Baffling Labyrinth. Death was certain for any poor archer mage. She was trapped, completely helpless. But she wasn’t alone.

 

She prepared to fire over the wall. “The enemy!” The wall shook slightly. From the cracks of the crumbling stone, she saw a boy with blue (or was it black?) hair striking the obstacle maniacally. Astonished, she said, “Prince Alfonse? Did you come to save me?”

 

He chuckled, “No.” Bashing the wall wide open, Alfonse charged up, putting very little distance between himself and Lyn. “This is as far as you’ll go, you little meta-stealing horse.” And then he ripped apart the helpless archer with a zanbato. Suddenly another wall nearby crashed down as Ike hurriedly ran towards Alfonse. He was filled with anger after having to cut down so many walls. The moment he saw his comrade’s body get taken over by the strange aura around the prince, his rage peaked.

 

“You! You set us up!” Ike shouted.

 

Alfonse smirked. “It’s too late anyways,” he bragged as he took out a ruby sword. “You will die, and that’s it for you.” Axe met sword as sparks flew.

 

And so, the defeat of the Brave Heroes was so painfully seared throughout time and space that all of their other versions swore to never come to that particular world of Zenith ever again. Somehow, the darkness inside of Alfonse had managed to bypass the laws of the universe again. The prince not only had stripped them of their holy powers, but all of the rest of their skills as well. Soon he would become a machine consumed by the life stolen from others. Until the day he loses himself entirely, he will only become stronger.

 

Or perhaps he was already lost in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wuzzup im back on my bullshit


	6. The Wanderer and the Fangs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After failing to kill Alfonse, Nino finds herself stuck in the land of Askr.

The Askrian countryside was beautiful, simply put. All of the vivid flora stretched out as far as the eye could see underneath the clear skies. The world simply looked perfect if it weren’t for the soldiers milling around nearby the quaint little village among the scenery. A hooded figure walked out of the settlement with a small bag of supplies. It was Nino. She was moping around with her detached arm, pondering her situation.

 

_ Useless, _ she thought.  _ No one here can help me. What I fought was just beginning to grow into something more than human.  _ She stared at her two arms, wondering how her amputated limb mysteriously grew back (truly a miracle of magic, really).  _ Or at least a little less human than me, _ she mocked inwardly. Looking around, she plunked herself down underneath the nearest tree and tried to rest without any success. Frustrated, she went over her Gronnblade tome over and over again until night had cast its shadow. She lit up a small lantern and attempted to relax viewing the stars until she was startled by a sudden noise.

 

“Hiya!”

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” cried the girl as she quickly punched the figure above her.

 

“Hey, hey, hey!” the mystery man rubbed his sore cheek. “Wow, what a shot in the dark, am I right?”

 

“...”

 

“What’s wrong? Bat got your tongue?”

 

“...Are you… like me?”

 

“A green mage?”

 

“No, undead.”

 

“Oh, that!” His teeth flashed into a smile with their sharp points sparkling in the glow of the low light. “Yeah, I’m a vampire. My name’s Henry!”

 

She sputtered as she remembered the seemingly calm yet eerie mage from Kiran’s roster. “You became a vampire? If you want blood I’m afraid I don’t have much to offer you.”

 

He held his hands up. “No, no,” he said as he shook his head in a polite gesture. “I don’t go around biting people for fun. I just wanted to check this huge source of magical energy I found.” His brows arched up, as if his eyes were lit in surprise. “And you happen to be that source.”

 

Nino sat down on the ground again. “So what do you want to do now?” she inquired.

 

“I dunno. I wasn’t really expecting a sentient form of magic. Maybe we could talk.”

 

“Talk about what? Our backstories?”

 

“Ooh! I’ll start! So I was just a funny little dark mage, you know? And then this really sourpuss dude named Alfonse killed me! He didn’t really laugh much.”

 

“ALFONSE?!” The little mage was already on edge.

 

“Eh, it’s fine. I’m still kicking.”

 

“...As an undead mage.”

 

“Really, dying wasn’t so bad.”

 

“...so how are you a vampire in the first place?”

 

“Oh, I just revived myself.”

 

“What.”

 

“Oh, you know. Just a little dark magic.”

 

“So… you’re just out here in the countryside because…?”

 

“Hey, there is no way I am going back to that killjoy. Sheesh, he just hates everyone,” Henry pouted. “What are you doing here then? Weren’t you back at Kiran’s castle?”

 

Her gaze averted. “Long story.”

 

“Ohhh, I love stories!” the dark mage exclaimed. “Come on, we got like, eternity to talk about it!”

 

She sighed and started. She described her homeland of Friege and how peaceful her life was during its years of reconstruction thanks to her aunt and adoptive father. She recalled how Olwen talked about her rough history fighting her brother and how eventually he disappeared one day to never return. How she set off to search for him, only for Reinhardt’s body to return to Saias horribly wounded. And then he had given birth.

 

“She wouldn’t really… tell me the specifics.” Nino’s face darkened. “Father said I was the most quiet baby he had ever met. And somehow I was able to grow without needing food or water. I learned to adapt to how other kids behaved, and I was able to get away without anyone giving me funny looks. My senses were dull. I felt empty most of the time, despite knowing I was loved. I felt like I was only taking up space where Reinhardt was for them. But Aunt Olwen reassured me that I was myself and not anyone else. I just couldn’t believe her. Everybody around me talked about just how great of a mage Reinhardt was. And so I begged Olwen to teach me thunder magic, but she only taught blade magecraft. So, I just accepted wanting to become a mage. And one day, I received a vision. A terrible darkness was invading our homeland, and I saw my father speak out to me. He begged me to search for the prince of Askr and bring him to justice for his crimes. And that’s what I swore to do.”

 

Henry chirped in, “So your caretakers really were that irresponsible to just let you run off to another world for the sake of satisfying some kind of inferiority complex?”

 

She glared at him. “Father Saias and Aunt Olwen were against me leaving that realm, but I snuck out anyway. I knew from Olwen that she managed to travel to different worlds, so I asked Saias about a multiverse theory, and he happily gave a lecture about it since he gets excited to teach me anything. And then I borrowed a diary about Olwen’s travels and figured out how to reach Zenith from that.”

 

“To me, this really sounds like there’s a serious broken pedestal that you put Reinhardt on. Are you really going to put just your life on the line because you feel like you have to be a hero?”

 

“I’m fine with it. I wasn’t supposed to exist in the first place.” She shrugged him off so easily. “I just… don’t want anyone else to deal with that darkness I saw in the future. So I will prevent it. I know Alfonse is responsible for this somehow.” In the low lighting, all Henry could see was just a little kid stuck outside. He sat down next to her.

 

“So, what did you do during that storm? You always seemed happy to work as Kiran’s little helper.”

 

“I tried to kill Alfonse. That’s all. I wasn’t attached to Kiran.” Something stung at the corner of her eyes. Henry pretended to not notice.

 

“Really? Well, then that wraps up the whole story.” The vampire jumped up and clapped. “And now it’s time for a little fight.”

 

“What are you—?” A deep howl sounded from the village. Terrified screams rang out. “Wh-what is going on?”

 

Henry held out his hand. “Have you ever heard the legend of Voresula?”

 

***

 

“Let me get this straight,” Nino said as she jogged alongside Henry. “Vampires don’t attack people at night, but some weird lady who swallows—”

 

“Vores,” he corrected.

 

“— _ vores  _ people just happens to be a commonplace terror.”

 

“Hey, I’m the only vampire around here, and trust me, there’s worse kinds of monsters like the Zofian Toe-Sucking Vampire or the Lusty Frog Man.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Oh look, it’s Voresula.”

 

At the gate of the town was a blue mage knight that stood in the way. She appeared to look almost exactly like the assassin Ursula, except for the fact she was swallowing a soldier whole.

 

“Mmghg, shw mmurrf mmhhs cmmf thif waf,” the monster said (roughly translating into “Mmm, so more meals come this way”). She gulped the soldier down. “Ah, that was refreshing. And now, more helpless humans are about to get gobbled up.”

 

Nino and Henry raised their green tomes.

 

“Wait a minute, aren’t you Nino?”

 

Nino’s eyes widened. “There’s… another me?”

 

Henry fired his tome… and missed.

 

“Nino, what was that about?!” His scrawny body was easily pushed away by the little girl.

 

“Henry! Is there really another version of me running around?”

 

“Oh, you mean the Nino that looks exactly like you but is from Ursula’s world?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Yeah, she’s a normal human.”

 

The little girl looked ready to curl up and… die. “Not only am I a fake human, but I’m a fake of a person.” 

 

Voresula, noticing the existential crisis, tried to slip away, only for a green blade to embed itself into her thigh.

 

Nino approached the lady. “Hold on, I just want to ask you something.”

 

“O-oh? And what may that be, little Nino?” Voresula chuckled nervously. This child wasn’t like the real Nino she knew. She could see from her eyes that she had shared the same determination as the original, yet there was a strange sense of desperation in them.

 

“Weren’t you spotted near the Order of Heroes a few weeks ago?”

 

“I was.”

“Why didn’t you attack there?”

 

“Something… was lurking there. I didn’t quite know what kind of defense mechanism they installed, but I wasn’t taking any chances. So, I just left to go eat the lesser beings in this realm.”

 

“I see.” She raised Gronnblade up. “Regardless, we still have to fight.” Henry launched a volley phantoms at the horse while Nino stabbed another sword through Voresula’s arm. The woman yelled and dropped her tome as she was bucked off. She was out cold. Suddenly, the soldiers rushed from their hiding spots to congratulate their new heroes.

 

“YOU SAVED US!” a trainee shouted as he dropped to his knees. “PLEASE JOIN US!”

 

“Join you?” Henry asked. “Like inside Voresula’s gullet?”

 

“Please, we’re on a mission to recruit the best fighters for something important! You’re the only people who can stand up to monsters like her!”

 

“Aha, sorry about that, I’m a monster too.” The crowd shrieked and backed off of him. “And so is she.” The crowd did another double take and quickly gave Nino space.

 

“Oh gods! Please don’t eat us!”

 

“Settle down!” a loud voice boomed. The captain had arrived. He strutted up to the duo and sank down to his knees.

 

“PLEASE DON’T EAT US!” he shouted.

 

“WE’RE NOT GOING TO!” they shouted back.

 

Nino calmed down. “So, a mercenary mission? What is it for?” she asked enthusiastically.

 

“We are tasked to find the finest assassins in all of the lands to take down the Order of Heroes.”

 

“You really think that’s us?”

 

“Of course! We lost half of our men to her already!” He pointed to the direction of the unconscious Ursula.

 

Henry shuffled over to the girl’s side. “Nino, do you think this is a good idea?” 

 

“I mean, I need the money. And I’m going back to kill the prince anyways,” she whispered.

 

“We’ll have to part ways then. I can’t stay in this realm. Gives me a bad vibe, you know?”

 

“I understand.” She turned to the captain. “I’ll create a group of mercenaries for you on one condition.”

 

The captain nodded. “And what is that?”

 

“That woman over there will be part of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i never want to write vore ever again


	7. Darkness for Real Justice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino assembles a team.

It was a strange parting to say the least. Just before dawn peaked into the world, Henry said his farewells, not before entrusting Nino with something special.

 

“...”

 

“Well? Go on, you can keep it!” He nudged the gift closer to her.

 

“Henry, that’s your coffin.”

 

“I know!”

 

“Aren’t you weak to sunlight?”

 

“Oh, please. The Plegian desert is much harsher than the weather of any world! I’ll only be slightly weakened under light. And have you SEEN me? I’m scrawny, so there isn’t a point to carry it around.”

 

“Th-thank you, then,” she choked out. She felt her insides deflate. For some reason, she felt a weight hanging over her head, as if this was their only chance to talk ever again. “I suppose this is goodbye.”

 

“It sure is! Now be good and don’t be a sucker!”

 

“Uh, Henry?”

 

“Yes?”

 

She held her arm. Her detached limb, to be precise. “I know from your profile you liked to collect these.”

 

“Awesome! I gotta hand it to you, you’re a pretty smart kid!” He excitedly picked it up. His smile seemed so genuine in that moment, as if he never died at all. Then again he’s always smiling, but this one seemed to be less forced.

 

“I’m not sure if we’ll ever meet again, but that little time we had together gave me hope that we’re not alone. And if there are more people like us, I want to meet them too.”

 

“I don’t doubt it. This place is full of weirdos. But the path you’re going on will most likely end terribly, but if that’s the fate you want to have, then I think there’s no way you could be wrong. Toodles!” With that, he took off into the unknown, free to do whatever the hell Henry does. Gods, what the fuck have I done?

 

***

 

“So, a zombie?”

 

“Yes, I’m a zombie,” Nino sighed. Talking to Voresula after she awakened seemed more troublesome than fighting her. The blue mage seemed to be avoiding personal questions and managed to get most of Nino’s background instead. “Now just want kind of demon are you?”

 

“Oh my, already getting down to the insults.” Voresula pouted. “I never knew Nino could be this mean.”

 

“Enough with this. I may look like her but there’s no way I could compare to a real human.”

 

“Still, you are a child. A very annoying child to share leadership with.”

 

“We don’t have time to spare. We have to get organized. The whole world is at stake.”

 

“Right, right. And that sum of money is also at stake.”

 

“This isn’t funny! Where’s your sense of pride? Aren’t you the Blue Crow? You’re kind of sad just camping out for easy targets.”

 

“There’s not a way for me to head back home because the old team I had assembled fled with the majority of my supplies. With the rise of abnormalities like you and the prince, I had no choice but to start building some more… character in order to gain enough skills to fight monsters on that level. What’s more is that the discovery of a powerful magic stirring from the depths piqued my curiosity, and should I manage to discover what it is, I’ll be able to fight that horrid prince once I consume that energy. But if that ultimately fails, then I’ll escape as soon as I have the resources to do so. The greatest shame for me would be to lose on some miserable world.”

 

“What about the people you left behind? Are you really going to abandon everyone in this world too?”

 

“Whatever it takes to get the job done, I’ll do it. Of course, they wouldn’t be alone if I had them inside me...”

 

Nino sighed and pushed herself back from the breakfast table. Neither of them were actually eating anything. “We’re both heartless abominations here, aren’t we?”

 

“You’re probably one, but I am most certainly not.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Truly! It takes time to achieve this kind of perfect body! I didn’t consume the pathetic weaklings who lost to me just to get called a hag.”

 

“Wow, you seem like a really refined lady to me! What else have you done to look so mature?”

 

“Oh, it’s not so simple as it looks. What you must also take into consideration is learning to get your entire digestive system—” she paused as she realized the flattery beneath Nino’s words. “Nice try, child.”

 

“Almost got you.”

 

Voresula let out a laugh. “Some things just need to stay a mystery, Nino. Anyways, what exactly is your plan for recruitment?”

 

“I was thinking we would go to different worlds and hopefully find people who weren’t killed by Alfonse. And then we go to find that powerful magic that you men—”

 

“Wrong. We’ll never be able to search efficiently like that. I have many contacts already from my travels. Just sit here, and I shall bring a force of thots that will crush that pesky order!” 

 

“A force of what now?” Voresula was already dashing out through the door at a surprising speed for someone who fell off a horse.

 

“Don’t worry about it!” the woman shouted back.

 

“Wait, I don’t trust like that!” Nino ran out after Voresula, but it was too late. The Blue Crow was already riding off with the captain to a faraway town. 

 

The teenager smacked her forehead. “We only have those two horses…” Resigned to a boring few days, she decided to look for potential recruits inside of the local pub.

 

***

 

Despite the horrific attack courtesy of Ursula, the townsfolk seemed lively as always. Or maybe they were drinking heavier because of the incident. Looking around, Nino could see that many of them had turned their gaze away, knowing that she was the one who spared the demon. She walked up to the bartender.

 

She said cheerily, “Hello!”

 

There was only a gruff response. “If you want any suckers to take your job, then go take those slackers in the back.”

 

“You mean… those people?” She pointed in the direction of a man and woman gibbering nonsense to each other at a table turned into a makeshift bake sale.

 

“Yes, those bastards. Seem to be crazy paranoid about ‘the Boss.’ Supposedly, they have a reputation for sneaking in and escaping from the craziest places.”

 

She beamed. “Thank you, sir!”

 

“You’re welcome missy,” he said.

 

“—I’m telling you, the gods were right in front of me!” the man insisted. He had taken his eyepatch off and seemed to be in some sort of frenzy with his story. “With my own two eyes!”

 

“For fuck’s sake, Niles! No one was there!” the blonde woman snapped back. Her fingers went to the quiver slung over her shoulder, as if she was about to draw her bow without a second thought. “Gods, if you’re this bad after just two, I am NEVER going to ba—”

 

“Oh, shit!” Niles suddenly noticed Nino. “There’s a huge weed here, Clarisse!”

 

“That’s not fucking weed you piece of shit stoner!” She suddenly turned to the mage. “What the hell do you want?”

 

“I heard from the old man you’re hiding from someone. I figured I could give you cover in exchange for some services.” 

 

Clarisse’s face darkened. “Don’t. Mention. That. Rat.” Her eyes flashed with fear for a brief second. “So, what’s the job?”

 

“Glad you asked!” Nino dumped a small sack of gold on the table. “There’s more where that came from. We need people that can operate in an assassination mission.”

 

“Who’s the target?” Clarisse asked.

 

“We’re aiming to dismantle the Order of Heroes, which means we’ll strike down the prince.”

 

“That nerd Alfonse? Well, I guess a different blue prince will do when I need to blow off steam.”

 

Niles pitched in, “I don’t mind putting a chip in him.” Clarisse glared daggers at him. The outlaw appeared to be very… excitable to say the least. His eye seemed glazed over.

 

Nino stared at his good eye. “Not to be rude, but are you sure you’re a good shot?”

 

“Positively!” He drew his bow and fired into the bar, arrow flying straight into the rack of bottles and knocking them over.

 

They heard the bartender sigh as he started to clean up the mess.

 

“...How haven’t you guys gotten kicked out?”

 

Clarisse snorted. “Old man likes our brownies. We’ve gotten by with just selling these. But man, I would love to go out for once.”

 

Nino was already distracted by the plate of desserts she just noticed that was near Clarisse. “Are those… good?”

 

“Oh, yeah. They’ll make you feel good, all right.”

 

“Can I have one?”

 

“How old are you?”

 

“Fourteen.”

 

“No.” She flicked the plate of brownies off the table. “Anyways, I’m assuming we get lodgings and free food from this deal, ah, Weedie?”

 

“Name’s Nino.”

 

“Right, right. We’ll take the job, Nino.” She gestured to her companion. “Anywhere’s better than that cramped prison.” Clarisse then kicked the table over. She stretched her arms and walked out of the bar with her new boss. Niles followed as he threw the weed-laced cakes at the rest of the customers.

 

“Good riddance,” the bartender mumbled as he nibbled on a brownie.

 

***

 

It was days later when Ursula had returned. She brought together a merry band of the most infamous and shady characters.

 

Nino rushed over to the Blue Crow’s side. “How did you get so many people to actually come over?”

 

Ursula scoffed. “You think they have anything better to do?” The group of villains shrugged.

 

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go inside the bar.” After being seated, Nino called over her new recruits. “So this is Niles, a thief, and this is—” She looked around to find Clarisse, only to see her surrounded by a pair of women.

 

“Lady Camilla, can we make her an honorary Selena?” the blue one spoke.

 

“Oh, dear, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. What would happen if we cross paths with our Selena?” the tall, purple woman scolded. Surprisingly, Clarisse wasn’t about to violently explode on them. Yet.

 

Beruka tugged on Clarisse’s sleeve. “She has Selena’s… aura, if I could put it into words. A strong, stubborn kind of person that seeks attention. But they’re not quite the same.”

 

It seemed that Clarisse was blushing furiously at Beruka’s contact. “W-well, I may not be Selena, but I guess I can help you since you seem helpless without someone with my personality. Not like I l-like you or anything, idiot!”

 

Niles laughed. “Oh man, she is high!”

 

“Niles, how many brownies did she eat?” Nino said flatly.

 

“Just enough.”

 

Nino rolled her eyes. “Anyways, we should group together for our first assignment.”

 

Voresula clapped. “Of course!” She passed out a pamphlet to everyone in the room. “Our first objective is to eliminate Alfonse as Kiran attempts to defeat Arvis, who we will be sending out as a distraction. Since Alfonse has no hope in fighting the mages on a basic level, he’ll get benched since Kiran is too dense to figure out that Alfonse could easily kill everyone with his dark powers. Alfonse can’t afford to reveal his dark persona in front of Kiran at all so he’ll mope around instead.”

 

Michalis raised his hand. “And what will happen should Arvis be captured by Kiran?”

 

“I didn’t get to point at you,” the mage mumbled. “Well, that’s simple. We’ll just come back to sneak him out.”

 

“I object!” Arvis yelled. “If the rumors are true, that kid is going to kill me for my skills first.”

 

“And that’s why I have another distraction planned for the prince.” She picked up a picture from the notice board. “The new arrivals will help us.”

 

Arvis slammed his fists on the table. “You don’t mean Sigurd and Tailtiu do you?”

 

“Is there a problem with that? I’m just giving them a little detour on their quest.”

 

“Deirdre is with them! Of course there’s a problem with that!”

 

Nino rubbed her chin. “Well, Mr. Arvis, considering how strong Alfonse is right now, he would prioritize getting rid of Sigurd and Tailtiu first before he would move onto Deirdre. Right now, he doesn’t feel intimidated by green units that much, so it’s possible that we could also direct Deirdre safely after we make our escape. Sigurd would probably die, but he could stall the prince just enough for us to swoop in at the last second.”

 

Valter interjected, “Now here’s the next problem. How in the world are we going to touch the boy, much less shred him to pieces?”

 

“That will be my priority along with Voresula’s. You just focus on carrying part of the group out to safety.” Valter then started to complain about the missing the thrill of the kill before Nino launched Gronnblade through his hair. “Don’t even think about screwing with the plan.”

 

“What’s more to this is that if we manage to off the little tyrant we’ll have a hefty sum on our hands. Possibly enough to live a comfortable life here in a peaceful, nerd-free Askr. So. Don’t. Fuck. Around,” Voresula said as she started to eat a random customer.

 

_ What the actual fuck? _ the entire group thought.

 

Xander stood up. “That’s fine and all, but why in the world would you drag me out here for this? I have to go back to Emblia to protect Veronica. Defeating Askr will come later for me.”

 

Lloyd nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’ve got no business doing some plain ol’ scummy work. I’m going back.”

 

“There won’t be a later! Whatever that… that THING Alfonse is becoming, we’re going to get killed by it eventually! Lloyd, Xander, you have to help us. We need to stop him now!” Nino cried as she gave her best impression of nearly bursting into tears.

 

Xander stared at her. “Oh, no, I know that’s exactly what Elise does and I am having none of—”

 

“Aww, how can I say no to that face?” Lloyd chuckled. He punched Xander in the arm. “Hey, you’re not gonna reject her of all people right?”

 

The Nohrian prince sighed. “Fine, only because this would keep Veronica safe.”

 

“Thank you!” Nino giggled and hugged them.  _ Too easy, _ she mused. “So all we need now is a group name.”

 

Lloyd replied, “Let’s see… well, since Ursula, you, and I have been part of the Black Fang, and we’re trying to kill this ‘Dark Alfonse’ guy… We should be the Dark Fang.”

 

Ursula scoffed. “That’s so stu—”

 

“Perfect!” Nino interrupted.

 

“You didn’t even hear my suggestion.”

 

“We are not naming ourselves ‘Voresula and the Other Bitches,’” the green mage shot back. The rest of the team nodded in unison.

 

“Alright, whatever. Meeting adjourned.”

 

And so, the Dark Fang was born, unaware of the tragedy that will soon unravel them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is crossed over with the hit "Niles and Clarisse Rock Disney World" by TalonDick (that's still in progress) and this fic takes place after the events that occurred there


	8. Zenith, We Have a Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfonse hosts a little party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back but only in depressed bursts

It was a pretty normal day for Alfonse. Pining for Kiran, getting ignored by Kiran, killing for Kiran. Just another day. Then he heard a knock on the door. Opening up, he was greeted by a person who smiled at him and was unfortunately not Kiran. She had strange silver hair and quite large purple eyes.

 

“Hello! I’m Tailtiu, a thunder mage, and I was hoping you could help me out in finding my—“

 

Alfonse shut the door in a panic. What. The. Hell. How did this disgusting blue mage appear on his doorstep? He was sure that he destroyed every single blue orb. Unless... this happened to be a traveling unit from Kiran’s friends. That could go back and warn about how strange he was. That is, if she thought he was weird. He quickly opened the door again.

 

“Salutations! What exactly was your business again?”

 

“Well!” She put her hands on her hips. “I’m looking for Tinni, my daughter, who was rumored to be around this area.”

 

“Oh ma’am, I’ve never heard of anyone named Tinni around here. So sorry about that.” He then started to close the door again only for Tailtiu to shove her tome in the frame.

 

“Aw, you sure? We came this far, and we have no place to spend the night.” There was a small vein bulging as she smiled.

 

Alfonse opened the door wide open. “We?”

 

“Yes, we,” said a man riding up on horseback. He had blue hair and a mullet that was burned on its tips. There was a hippie-looking woman sitting right behind him. He seemed honestly tired in comparison to the thunder mage’s energetic front. “If it isn’t a problem, young man, we would like to stay over and leave the next morning. And then we will be on our way.”

 

The hippie spoke, “Oh, dear, Sigurd, you’re burning up.”

 

“I am fine, Dear; it was just a scratch from Arvis on the way here.”

 

“We can’t leave immediately,” Deirdre insisted. “You will certainly die to that kind of fire again.”

 

A voice called out, “Alfonse? Who’s that?”

 

Shit. It was Kiran. And they were looking from the notice board to the visitors on their doorstep. Their jaw dropped.

 

“ALONZOLOOKATTHEFIVESTARSRIGHTATOURDOORLET’SKEEPTHEMHERE!”

 

Alfonse sighed. “Alright, I guess we can keep you here for a few days until that Arvis guy goes away.” He gestured them inside. Damn that cute act Kiran has, the prince thought.

 

“Why thank you, young man. I assure you, we will head right back home after this,” said Sigurd as he ducked his smoldering head under the entrance, not even bothering to dismount. Kiran was already preparing tea and snacks as they complimented Sigurd’s hair and well built... skills to say the least.

 

***

 

Kiran was gushing hard many hours later. “Albert, Sigurd is SO HOT. That Attack Smoke? That Ward? That sexy blue mullet? HOT DAMN!”

 

“We’ve gone over this for three hours in the training tower, Kiran,” Alfonse groaned. Kiran ignored him like always and chugged down another stamina potion. Gods, the way they slurp that drink up, he sighed. It’s so hard to be mad at them.

 

“Alright, I'm done with reading!" They put down a strange, thick tome about the planets. Their collection of space readings were quite foreign to the rest of the Order. Particularly the so-called "science" that Kiran brought with them. "I’m going to check out that mage named Arvis and see if I can bring him here! The stars are apparently aligned for me tonight! Just sit tight and don’t make a mess!” Kiran called as they ran out. How adorable. They always loved finding the most obscure things to increase their fortune.

 

“Bye Kiran!” Alfonse happily waved back. As soon as the door clicked, Alfonse knocked over the table. “GODS DAMN IT! WHAT! DOES HE! HAVE! THAT I DON’T? I CAN GROW A BLUE MULLET AND HAVE A MILLION COOL SWORDS TOO!” What a dilemma this was. First, a blue mage that took his precious Kiran, and now a blue haired lord had all of their attention. He felt so much rage that his hair slowly turned jet black once again.

 

_ I’ll kill them, I’ll kill them, I’ll kill them. Damn them all I’ll kill them. But there’s too many complications here. With three on one, I’ll get overwhelmed. Even then, Sigurd will be the hardest to kill with his Miracle. _ Suddenly, the darkening of his hair receded. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

 

“Hello, welcome to the Order of Heroes. Is there anything I can help you w—“ His collar was suddenly seized by the new guest. The stranger was hooded in a black cloak, nothing but the wrinkles on his lower face were showing.

 

“Young man,” he growled. “Are you the murderer of Reinhardt?”

 

Alfonse swallowed hard. “Y-yes.” Shit. Damn honesty. “Are you here to kill me?”

 

“Kill you?” His face broke out into a grin. “I’m here to congratulate you!”

 

“W-what?”

 

“I hated that tool! He was so annoying. And he really thought he could try to escape his duties. Pathetic.” He handed Alfonse a large sack of gold. “Please, take this and do me a favor.”

 

“This is... a fortune,” the prince remarked. “What’s your deal?”

 

“So glad you’ll cooperate!” The man pulled his hood down. He had a monocle and silver hair. “I need you to throw my daughter, Tailtiu, off into a different dimension. I sent her daughter off into orbit, and the last thing I need is for Tailtiu to return to pester me about the girl.”

 

“Into orbit? How did you even accomplish that?”

 

“Oh, you know. Sometimes I accidentally launch people into outer space. Anyways, since I know you’re a capable assassin, I might as well ask you to do this favor.”

 

“All of this is mine?”

 

“Every last coin.”

 

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

 

“Excellent, young man. When you finish your mission, there will be more rewards.” With that, the visitor slithered off into the darkness.

 

“So much money...” Alfonse mused. He stared at Kiran's books. “And I know exactly what to do with it.”

 

***

 

Days later, Kiran still hadn’t made progress with Arvis. It seemed that he was determined to avoid joining the tactician.

 

Deirdre sighed. “I hope we get to go home soon.”

 

“Have no fear, Deirdre. I promise we will both make it out of here alive,” Sigurd replied as he kissed her hand.

 

“I can’t believe Tinni still hasn’t been found,” Tailtiu groaned. “I’ve been looking forever and ever, but I think it’s time I have to go back to my family and try to interrogate them now that I’m stronger.”

 

“Miss Tailtiu!” cried Alfonse. “I have news for you!”

 

“What is it?”

 

Alfonse took a deep breath. “I have a clue where your daughter is.”

 

Tailtiu jumped up. “Seriously?! Please, show me!”

 

“Right this way!” He ran across the hallway and into a large room. Tailtiu followed him.

 

“What a helpful lad,” Sigurd remarked.

 

“Quite. Though, I find it strange that we haven’t met anyone else in the castle for a few days,” Deirdre noted. Suddenly, she heard a doorknob rustle. Hesitantly, she walked over and opened it. In front of her was...

 

“M-my children?”

 

***

 

“So what is this contraption?” Tailtiu inquired as she stared at the strange machine in the middle of the room.

 

Alfonse quickly said, “It’s a kind of horseless carriage.”

 

“Fascinating! How does it work?”

 

“Well first you step inside.” The prince led her into the cockpit. He secured her seatbelt. “And now you let the dome close over your head.”

 

“Interesting...”

 

“And then... And then...” His hair was turning inky again.

 

“And then what? Alfonse?” She just noticed him entering a fit.

 

“You fly to her, of course!” he cackled as he started the ignition on the rocket.

 

***

 

“My son...” Sigurd started.

 

Seliph was shaking. “Father, run! Please, don’t get trapped here with us! You’ll die!”

 

“What are you talking about? We can all go home now, Seliph!” Sigurd cried.

 

“Mother, don’t stay! Just forget we were here!” Julia begged.

 

“What’s happened to you?” Deirdre was filled with dread.

 

“It’s that prince! He’s been locking us up and killing us for skills! But since I don’t have any that are valuable he’s been making me swab the floors! Please, Mother, Father, run away from here!” Seliph yelled.

 

“I won’t leave you! We won’t leave until we take care of that prince and Tailtiu is with us safely!”

 

“It’s too late! Alfonse has grown strong enough to track all of Kiran’s contracts! Get out while you still can!”

 

“I won’t leave until I teach that dastard a lesson!” Sigurd charged, horse and all, into the hallway when the door burst open.

 

Tailtiu screamed as the rocketship sailed past everyone, killing Sigurd with a horrific THUNK and soaring right through the front door. The rocket gained speed and altitude, getting higher and higher until it was out of sight.

 

Alfonse emerged from the smoke. He was laughing madly. “YOU SEE THAT, KAGA! I PLAY GOD NOW!” The demon ripped out Sigurd’s skills and feasted upon the tragic lord, mullet and all. He stared at the newly widowed hippie. “And now for dessert.”

 

“Fuck!” An arrow bounced off of the prince’s chest. The voice was coming from the projectile’s path. “He killed that hunky son of a bitch in one hit!”

 

“Thanks for blowing our cover, Niles!” growled another voice. It was Clarisse. “Hey, boss! Abort the mission! He didn’t take any damage!”

 

“You...” Alfonse glowered.

 

Niles teased, “Is it me or did he hit his emo phase?”

 

“You think you WORMS can kill ME?” he roared.

 

“Boss! PULL BACK NOW!” Clarisse yelled. She fired an arrow that aimed for right between Alfonse’s eyes. It simply glanced off of his skin.

 

“HAHAHAHA! THIS IS WHAT POWER FEELS LIKE!” Above him, Nino jumped carrying a coffin. She slammed it as hard as she could into his head. CRACK. “GRAHHHHH!” The box splintered open.

 

“You two, go with Deirdre and her kids and find the survivors! Get Beruka and Narcian to carry you guys out!” Nino raised a blade. “We can stall him here.”

 

Voresula sent a blast of magic into the young prince. He doubled over in pain. “Such a waste of power on such an ugly form,” she chided. Charging her next strike, she noticed he was rapidly healing. “What a pain.”

 

***

 

Niles had barreled down the stairs into the basement. “Didn’t know this place had a kinky dungeon!” He unlocked the chains around the prisoners’ ankles and started leading them up. “Alright, we’re gonna make a break for the front door. If he spots us, I’ll try to distract him. Keep running until you see the wyvern and the girl in the purple scarf. Don’t stop.”

 

And then they charged. Past the stairs and right behind Voresula.

 

The Blue Crow glanced behind her and nodded. “Blarwolf! Consume this fool!”

 

“Oh no you don’t,” chuckled Alfonse. He sidestepped the attack.

 

“What the—“

 

“It’s over!” A dark tentacle shot out from the mist growing around his feet and tangled her horse’s legs. Another sailed past her and was about to reach the fleeing prisoners. Niles fired arrow after arrow as they moved, with Clarisse at the door backing him up. Again, their shots bounced harmlessly. Damn strength stats.

 

“Crap!” Nino was too far away to intercept the attack. She threw a volley of Gronnblades, but they were struck away by a third appendage.

 

_ They’re going to be absorbed! _ She desperately ran to them, with each step seemingly weighing down more and more. A small blade of verdant was thrown as a last resort and at that moment...

 

“GRAAUUUUUUGHHH!” A clean slice was made.

 

But it was a flash of crimson.

 

Who could have thrown it?

 

There was no time to think about it.

 

“RUN!” Niles and Clarisse followed the order and jumped onto their escort. Narcian flew down and snatched up the rest of the group.

 

“And so the great Narcian makes another dramatic entrance!”

 

“Get working on the exit!” the archers yelled.

 

With much gusto, the survivors fled the battle. However, there remained Nino and Ursula. With a ferocious roar, Alfonse advanced on the magic duo. Nino charged up again… only for Ursula to hastily pick her up. With a yell, her horse began to gallop away from the beast.

 

“What are you doing?!” the kid yelled.

 

“There’s no way in hell we can win like this. I’m taking the tactical approach here. We have to regroup. If we die here, then it’s all for nothing.”

 

“LET ME KILL HIM! DAMN IT, VORESULA!”

 

“Is this what you want? To destroy yourself before you can save anyone else?” Voresula spat. “I will not suffer such an embarrassment in some backwater castle! And I am certainly not letting someone as naive as you try to die like this!” She flung another familiar at the monster.

 

“That BASTARD is going to just get stronger!”

 

“We’re not any stronger like this! Pipe down and let me take you to safety!”

 

“Tch!”  _ She’s right. _ Nino thought.  _ But I can’t help myself. She should just leave me. Why does she care so much? I was meant to do this. It doesn’t matter if I die. It’s the only reason why I feel that I’m alive—! _

 

She saw a shadow tail them. But it was a different kind of darkness. And for the briefest moment, Nino saw that same flicker of red. And soon, it merged with the rest of the night as they fled, not knowing where that enigma could be lurking.


	9. An Eye for an Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino deals with the aftermath.

It was definitely not a good day. Ursula had resorted to tying Nino to a chair as she raged in their meeting room. Ranting about Alfonse and the like. Honestly, the kid sounded as obsessed with Alfonse as the prince was infatuated with Kiran. “We were so close!” she cried.

 

Ursula poked her in the stomach. “What was that then the other day? Did you not want to find kinship with people like me? Like us?” She sneered. “Or perhaps you did not want that vampire to care about you while you throw yourself away?”

 

“I-I…” Nino was struggling with the words. “I should have stayed instead of running away the first time. I’m not worthy of being anyone’s friend if I keep leaving them in danger.”

 

Ursula shook her head in disbelief. “Goodness, you are such a mess. We are a team now. The only way for us to get stronger is to stick together, though my preferred amount of closeness is too uncomfortable for most people.” She opened up the door. “Why don’t we meet our new recruits?” The survivors from Kiran’s castle filed into the room. Among them were very tired mages, swordsmen, and axe fighters, though not a single person had an affinity with the blue element.

 

The green mage looked over them. “Hello everyone. Please imagine that I am waving.” She shot a small glare at her cohort, who seemed to be ignoring the ropes tied around her wrists and ankles.

 

“Hi, Nino!” an enthusiastic Rebecca replied.

 

“What’s happening, kiddo?” Bartre said.

 

“Mom, what’s going on with you?” Raigh asked.

 

And many more comments like that happened at once. By what Nino saw, the survivors of the Order were the ones that were regarded as “cannon fodder” by Kiran. From the Roys to the Boeys to the Gunters and to the Wrys’s, everyone had a low priority to be killed by Alfonse, most likely because he was able to overtake them in combat. It felt somewhat reassuring to have these people at her side, however based on several given testimonies, it seems that Alfonse’s power had far exceeded them a long time ago, hence why they were trapped in the basement. Julia and Seliph mentioned something about being forced building very strange contraptions and fortifications for the castle. Likewise, others had described the constant underlying fear that came about when Alfonse was left in charge when Kiran was absent. Those who were picked to be sent home never went back. Kiran was none the wiser to the method of disposal. As far as they knew from Alfonse’s reports, after all, they would never encounter the same person again. There was never a choice between peace or violence, and Alfonse made sure that those who tried to run away unnoticed would get caught by Kiran, who was completely oblivious to the misdeeds of the corrupt prince and was paranoid at the thought of units disappearing like Reinhardt, thus trapping them in what was essentially a prison with no hopes of ever getting out.

 

Nino hung her head. She knew the exact reason why things had turned out like that. Because she got close to Kiran. Because she caused Kiran to get hurt caring over another friend. And that condemned the others. It was her fault. It burdened her knowing that she should have tried to save them back then. And once again, that chance to save was taken away.

 

As for the Dark Fang members, most of them had survived…

 

...Except for one.

 

***

 

He’s definitely gone mad.  _ How could this girl gotten away AGAIN? _ Alfonse stamped out the fire around him. At his feet was a dead Arvis. The prince shakily grabbed the Recovery Ring from the mage. He felt the darkness warp the power of the ring to be under his command.  _ Where did she find help? Where had these assassins come from? _ It didn’t make any sense that a large majority of villainous scum had joined up with her.  _ Unless someone placed a hit on me, _ he angrily thought.  _ But who would be bold enough to do that? _ He couldn’t place an answer. It didn’t concern him that much. For now, he needed to acquire more resources and power while Kiran relaxed.

 

Alfonse slipped out of the castle with some… shopping to do. He had taken the rest of Kiran’s orbs and planned on hiring more unpaid labor for his schemes.  _ This will show them… No one else can belong to Kiran but me. NOTHING else can belong to Kiran but me.  _ He was already diving headfirst into his countermeasures. His appearance once began to reflect his true, evil thoughts.

 

_ I’m waiting for you, child of Thundercock. _

 

***

 

“Shit, he’s dead by now.” Ursula bit hard on her thumb. “We’re down another red mage.”

 

Nino replied, “No, I think there is another.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Go left.”

 

Ursula tilted her head in time for a red flash to whizz by and strike the ropes around Nino’s right wrist. With a flick, Nino crafted a blade of her own to hack off the rest of her bindings.

 

The purple-haired woman scowled. “Tch!” She craned her neck around. “So now you want to come out of the shadows.”

 

The mysterious figure jumped from the second floor railing and landing on both feet with complete confidence. “You aren’t as incompetent as I thought. Bravo.”

 

“This aura…” Voresula grinned. “You’re another monster.”

 

“Hmph. How rude.” She stepped out of the shadows. It was Tharja, but she was wearing a sports bra with a huge tit window. She flung another blade out.

 

Ursula dodged again. “Hey!” Nino shouted. She deflected the attack. “At least TRY to not get the house destroyed.”

 

Niles whispered, “Are you guys seeing her cameltoe or is it just me?”

 

Clarisse nudged him. “Don’t be rude!” She broke out into a snicker.

 

Bartre covered Fir’s eyes.

 

The darkest mage glared at the crowd. “For those of you who are ignorant: I am not just Tharja. I am a being far more advanced than her. I am… Power Tharja.”

 

Half of the group grabbed some of the brownies and started snacking. They had already given up on understanding the conversation.

 

“Why did you save us?” Nino asked.

 

She twirled her hair. “I am here to avenge the loss of my dear spouse, Robin.” Her expression grew gloomy. “I would do ANYTHING if it means I can kill that runt for destroying the darkness of my life.”

 

“...Do you mean light of your life?” Seliph inquired.

 

“Whatever. Nothing has caused such great joy and misery for me than my darling.”

 

Nino approached slowly. “So we are friends here?”

 

“Of course. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Tharja licked her lips. “When are we going to spill his blood?”

 

“Well,” Seliph started, “According to the schedule, Kiran will be busy with their own world in a week. Something about a ‘credit card’ that was rejecting their ‘orb purchases.’”

 

“Perfect,” she cooed. “I’ll show all of you how it’s done.”

 

“Wait, we’re missing something,” Ursula said. “Has anyone seen Sharena and Anna ever since that prince began his murders?”

 

“Now, that I think about it, I believe they went off to chase down that masked man for something a few weeks ago,” Julia noted. “I’m not sure what it was.”

 

Fae piped in, “Commander Anna said it was super-duper top secret!”

 

“Great, then they’re at risk if they attempt to return,” Tharja sighed.

 

“What’s more is that our contractor is pissed off. Without him, our supplies will get cut off,” Voresula mused.

 

“Then a squad will track and intercept those two,” Nino said. “Another group will evacuate into friendly realms and warn them of the potential threat. The rest of us will have to catch Alfonse off-guard in that amount of time.”

 

Tharja nodded. “Sounds like a fine plan to me.”

 

“Then it’s settled?”

 

“Of course.”

 

They shook on it. The expanded Dark Fang cheered. This time, they had hope. They were going to defeat the ever-spiralling madness that was the tyrant prince.

 

Little did everyone know that victory would be covered in the hands of death.


	10. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dark Fang challenges Alfonse once again.

The Order of Heroes was turned into a monstrosity within a week. Spikes were placed everywhere. The main building had extended several more stories, with more sharp obstacles placed along the surfaces. The brick was a pitch black, oozing with blood in its cracks. What’s more is that there was a spiraling mass of darkness hovering overhead the tower, growing exponentially larger with every second.

 

“How in the world—?” Nino was just speechless.

 

“He definitely overworked those people,” Voresula pointed out. There were several workers toiling around the construction area, all exhausted and shivering from fear.

 

Narcian flew down. “Bah! There’s some pesky artillery mounted on those walls. They seem to be enchanted to shoot arrows at anything that flies in their range. Not that I was hit, of course.”

 

Michalis grumbled, “Some of those artillery even fire magic, so we can’t fly up without getting whittled down quickly.”

 

“This is… bullshit,” remarked Leo. “That architecture is beyond anything of our time. A castle should not be this… rectangular.”

 

“Actually, it seems quite familiar. Hey, Clarisse. Doesn’t this remind you of the buildings in Kiran’s world?” Niles asked.

 

She shut her eyes. “Don’t remind me.”

 

Leo stared at his retainer. “You’ve been there?”

 

“Oh, you know. Been sightseeing,” Niles smirked at him. “I advise you to watch your mouth.”

 

“What?”

 

“Oh, nothing.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see Tharja fiddling with some kind of charm. A strange shiver went down his spine. Something felt… wrong.

 

Power Tharja put away the trinket. “So, he’s built a dungeon for us. Our scouting group will go and disable traps within while we free the laborers roped into this mess.” Nino and Voresula nodded in agreement.

 

“So much for that ambush,” Beruka mumbled.

 

And then they split.

 

***

 

Roy and the band of kids searched the nearby towns for any news of Sharena’s and Anna’s arrival. Everywhere they went seemed desolate, as if the residents had disappeared. Houses were stripped down to their foundations. Farmland had gone brittle. Rivers were polluted with a foul stench. The entire world was on its last breath.

 

“Do you think they made it out?” Lissa pondered.

 

“Let’s not think about it…” Raigh trailed off. 

 

Clarine swallowed hard. “What if the Commander is still searching in Embla? Has the whole continent been evacuated by now?”

 

“I don’t know,” Roy sighed. “We’re stuck in this chaos, and they might have sought out somewhere safe already.” He gently closed the door to a vacant home. His ears suddenly perked up. “This sound—!” The unmistakable clip-clop of a hoof.

 

Fae waved excitedly. “They’re here!” The calvary had arrived.

 

“Commander! Sharena!” Lilina ran up to the pair. “You came back!”

 

“Of course we did!” Sharena smiled faintly. She had bags under her eyes. Her braid had come undone. Pieces of her armor were chipped off.

 

Anna puffed up her chest. “This was my hardest business venture EVER! I was worried sick about you kids the entire time!” Her clothing was ripped up, with bruises lining across her arms.

 

Lilina lit up. “Business venture? So, you met—”

 

“Us.” The masked man, Bruno, rode up behind them. Sitting behind him was his sister.

 

“Usually I would never agree to such terms,” Veronica said flatly. “But because I am here, that means something has gone terribly wrong.”

 

“And what is it?” asked Fir.

 

“We no longer feel the need to satisfy our bloodlust,” Bruno said as he removed his mask. Sharena winced as she saw Zacharias’ weary look that mirrored her own. “Because…”

 

“Because what?”

 

“Because our curse is gone.”

 

***

 

Niles was troubled. His gut instinct told him to not trust a dark mage. Yet, he couldn’t place a reason why he felt that way.  _ It’s the brownies, _ he decided. He jumped to undo the next tripwire.  _ Damn that smartass kid.  _ With a swipe, he unlocked the door to the upper floors. “All clear here, ladies,” he declared.

 

If Jaffar heard him, he didn’t show it. Saizo rolled his eye. Clarisse and Beruka seemed to be immersed in their section. Niles took another glance around, and everyone else had yet to finish their work.  _ Guess I’ll take a quick break. _ He jumped out the window to observe the others. Alfonse apparently had no guards that watched over the labor.  _ Although the ever-looming threat of being absorbed into a void of hatred and despair might be enough to keep people in line. _ He noticed Tharja again. Unlike the others, she was going inside already.  _ That’s strange. _ Already, he was sneaking down to the first floor.

 

Entering the lobby again, he saw the edge of her cape head into the direction of the basement. He carefully tiptoed down the stairs and walked through the same corridor as he had last time. Power Tharja was nowhere to be found. However, there was a set of footprints that were much bigger than Tharja’s that led further down the hall. Someone else was here. He followed the trail until he was in front of locked room. Two people were speaking in there.

 

“What failures they are,” a deep voice sighed. “I will have to do this myself. What’s the condition of the leaders?”

 

“Both of them seem unstable. There’s a high chance that Voresula will simply kill everyone and move on.” Niles recognized this voice. It was Tharja. She continued, “Furthermore, that Nino’s power could possibly exceed the strength of Alfonse’s darkness. If those two were to clash, the entire world might be destroyed.”

 

“Paying this group was a mistake. After this job is done, I will kill both of those menaces. I must right my wrongs and do what should have been my responsibility,” the man said coldly. Niles backed away in horror.

 

“Ah, but first, I should tie up any loose ends,” Tharja cackled. Niles was already down the hall, hoping to reach the stairs again. He looked back, and no one was there.

 

“AARGGGHHHH!” A sharp pain went through his hand. Then another. Then another. Then another. He fell over as something rolled toward his cheek. It was… a tiny doll. Of someone. His eye widened in recognition.  _ Damn it… This person is… _ The archer couldn’t finish the thought. 

 

A hollow laugh rang out.

 

***

 

“We’re done!” Nino gasped. “Let’s get to the top!” The crew regrouped at the bottom of the stairs and met with the dismantling group. Everyone seemed to be here, with the exception of Niles. Ursula simply shrugged him off as someone who was taking a brownie break and decided to climb up without him.

 

As they ascended, they felt the entire building shake. Nino wondered what Kiran would think of this place when they came back. They’d probably freak out. She shook off the thought of Kiran becoming involved.  _ I can’t let them get in any more danger, _ she resolved. At long last, they reached the roof of the skyscraper. 

 

Alfonse was sitting upon a throne. He lazed about on it as the Dark Fang came into his view. Flashing a grin, he sprouted tentacles of darkness from the ground to lift up his seat. His eyes were crimson. His hair was darker than the sky above him. “I’ve been waiting for you, Nino!” he laughed. “Came to fail again in your little game, I see.”

 

“Sorry, I thought you wanted a last meal before I kill you,” Nino shot back.

 

“Again with that! Yet, you disappoint me more than ever! At least I killed Reinhardt with my first attempt! You’ve tried twice!” Dark Alfonse looked like he was already coming undone. His eyes seemed crazed and filled with more bloodlust than ever. He stood up on this throne and brandished his swords. “Just try me, you little bastard!”

 

“You—!” She furiously launched a volley of blades at him. He smirked and smacked them with his own. He sent out a shadowy vine and wrapped it around her arm. He hoisted her up.

 

“So, would you like me to cut it off again?” Hovering Fólkvangr over her limb, he teased, “I’ll make sure this will be quick.” Startled, the rest of the group launched their own weapons at him, but to no avail. The amount of arms his shadow was producing could block anything they would throw at him.

 

“Nino!” shouted Voresula. She tried to rush for her partner, but someone pulled her back. “Who dares—!” Tharja placed a finger on Ursula’s lips. Ursula simply glared at the woman as she wondered what the dark mage could be storming up.

 

Alfonse went back to gloating. “You see! I AM useful! I don’t deserve to be benched! I just wanted for Kiran to recognize me! And now I am the strongest person of the Order! They don’t need any of you anymore! HAHAHAHAHA!” He was crying tears of anger and joy over his victory.

 

“...stupid,” Nino spat out.

 

“What was that!” He turned his attention back to the girl, who was simply staring at the ground as she was suspended in the air. “You have something to say, brat?”

 

“You- you’re stupid,” she choked out. “Maybe Reinhardt didn’t deserve all of the attention, but you couldn’t see that Kiran cared about you?”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“They let you in charge of gathering the troops. They let you handle skill inheritance. They let you manage over everyone when they were absent. They trusted you! And what do you do? You kill everyone in sight! You torture people! You lie constantly to Kiran when they put that much faith into you! You didn’t need to become a monster! You let it happen because you wanted to get away with everything without feeling any guilt! There’s nothing left of you but your obsession with them. When Kiran realizes that, they’ll hate you! And you will be nothing without that love!” She glared at Alfonse, daring him to kill her. To prove her point. To show that he deserved no pity for his life.

 

The prince bit hard on his lip. “Annoying! Annoying! ANNOYING!” He threw Fólkvangr to the ground. His hands started to scratch his face until it bled. “You don’t know what it’s like to be viewed as nothing! Everyone has left me behind except Kiran! And yet they’ll never look my way!” He prepared to throw her off of the tower.

 

“Go ahead. You’re so pathetic that I can’t even bring myself to fight you,” she hissed.

 

“Another failure, then,” a deep voice said in an icy tone.

 

The vines were severed by Fólkvangr. Nino dropped to the floor safely. Voresula ran to her side. “You’re okay, right?” she asked. Nino gave no reply. She was staring at the rescuer, who had picked up the legendary weapon with ease and managed to intercept them within seconds.

 

The man simply stared back at them and said, “I do not require your services anymore.” Ursula then realized that this was their mysterious contractor.

 

Alfonse recoiled at the damage to his shadow. He honed in the sword’s wielder. He roared, “So NOW you finally care?” The prince was seething in raw anger.

 

“I did not want to believe that you were the problem, and that was a grave mistake,” said the man. He was an old man, yet he looked familiar. He was dressed in white with golden armor. His hair was gray mixed with the same blue as Alfonse’s once had.

 

“It’s time to put an end to your little hero charade, son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Book 2 is done! :) I have plans for that too


	11. Throw It Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The drama thickens.

The wind howled around the tower. For a single moment, not a single person made a sound. Nothing but the screams of the weather could be heard. There the assassins were, having realized exactly how dangerous the situation had become. The fight in front of them was painful and awkward to see unfold. While they had seen the prince of Askr darken with madness and hate, no one was prepared for what his face also twisted into.

 

It was sadness.

 

Alfonse said nothing as he picked up another sword from his arsenal. He dared not to look into his father’s face as he carefully circled the man. Then he snapped. Jabbing at the king, he went into a frenzy.

 

“Of all the times—!” The strike aimed for the heart was parried perfectly. “When the kingdom was in danger—!” This time the stab went for the leg. Again, it was countered. “Again and again—!” The prince dropped his stance as his form became sloppy. “You pick NOW to save it?! You’re nothing but a coward!” 

 

This time the king let out a shout. “You’ve gone too far, boy!” He gave his son a hard kick to the ribs. “I spoiled you by not disbanding that mockery of an order of yours!” Without holding anything back, he slammed Alfonse into the ground. “Now you’ve become the very thing that will destroy us all! And all of this damage for what! That ridiculous tactician?” He towered above his former son as he prepared to strike. “As soon as you perish, villain, I will make sure none of you monsters will live to see the light of day in this world ever again. And I’ll have that fool Kiran banished from our realm forever.” 

 

Ursula instinctively knew that no matter the outcome, they were going to fight the victor. She sensed an opening and prepared to fire...

 

“STOP!” came a voice at the top of the stairs.

 

Nino gasped. “Niles?”

 

He looked like hell had spilled all over him. His crimson wounds were still gushing as he shambled over. His left arm was limp, and his right was clutching a tiny object. As he tried to approach the king, Clarisse and Nino held him back. 

 

Clarisse scolded him. “What are you doing? Hey! You can’t walk with those wounds. What the hell happened?” Niles desperately held up the object in his hands. “Niles! What even is—”

 

“Let me talk to the king!” Clarisse piped down immediately. She could see how serious it was if Niles was willing to help the rich. “Please, King of Askr! It’s a trap! She’s not on your—” He hacked up blood as a sudden blast of magic went through his chest. The magic was sharp, its edges tinged in red.

 

“Shit—!” Ursula felt the side of her stomach get pierced by another blast of blade magic. Fortunately, the cut was not so deep.

 

The king was not as lucky. He fell to his knees as another bloody blade went through his chest. He went limp as Fólkvangr clattered to the ground. 

 

“NO!” Nino screamed. She turned around to the source of attack. It was Tharja.

 

Clarisse was in shock. “Niles, Niles!” The outlaw gave a sorrowful look as he held his hand out to her. She clasped her only friend’s hand and took the trinket from him. Examining it fully, she stood and faced the dark mage. “You bitch!” she yelled. “You’re in love with… with HIM?” Holding the little doll in her hands, she showed the entire group a crudely made charm of Robin… except his hair was dyed over in black. And it had wielded a mini version of Fólkvangr.

 

Power Tharja had a shit-eating grin. She power-walked over to the king’s body and kicked him off of Alfonse. “Yes, yes. It’s true.” She helped the prince up and returned his sword to him. “Of course, it was not my intention at first. You see, I wanted to devastate this boy when I found out my previous beloved was murdered. But, when I encountered this devilish prince the first time on that faithful mission…” she sighed dreamily. “I saw such an irresistible darkness. One that was far greater than anything Robin ever had. It was at that moment I planned all of this out. Where I would convince that stuffy old fool to come here personally so that I could show my devotion to my new beloved. He was planning to kill all of us anyway. You should be thanking me.”

 

The woman was crudely gloating as everyone stared at her in horror and disgust at her twisted change of heart. Alfonse laughed as he spat on his father’s body. “Eat shit, old man!” he giggled.

 

Beruka dragged Nino and Clarisse back. “We’re totally fucked,” she said in a deadpan voice. Clarisse grimly nodded. Unfortunately, Lloyd not listening.

 

Lloyd roared, “You scum!” He lunged at Tharja. His body was immediately cut open by a storm of blades. Cain attempted to overpower Alfonse with the brave sword’s might, but the prince was quick to skewer him with shards of darkness. Then Eliwood tried to interfere and was easily steamrolled by Tharja and Alfonse’s combined power.

 

“Damn it,” Ursula hissed. “FALL BACK!” The squadron scrambled for the exits as the murderous duo started to slaughter them. Thunderous laughter sounded as Alfonse started to stab at random, gleefully enjoying his killing streak. Xander received a stab in the gut. Abel was cut in two. Eldigan’s head was cut off. Wrys had fallen over in chronic pain. This continued on until the intruders had flooded out of the building. Finally, it was just Nino and Ursula to face him again.

 

“Nino…” Ursula warned.

 

“This has to stop,” Nino cracked. So much death had flashed before her, a being of the dead that could feel more guilt than the monster standing in front of her. “We’re the only people in this world who could even fight him on even ground.”

 

“No, Nino. That’s not it. None of this has been right from the start. You aren’t supposed to want to kill. And while the organization I was in did in fact train your counterpart to be an assassin, you both still deserve a normal life. You’re not meant to be a vigilante. This is something that was started by your father and Alfonse. It’s not supposed to be your burden to bear. The only way for Alfonse to stop is if Kiran receives closure for themselves.” She turned to the prince. “Listen here and now. You can’t hide your ugliness on the inside forever. That is the nature of us monsters. Sooner or later, Kiran will really see what you truly are. You are nothing more than their wish for the strongest, but you are afraid that, in the process of gaining power, you lost sight of everything that Kiran saw within you.”

 

“...Shut up.” Alfonse growled. “You don’t know what it’s like to be left behind by the most precious thing in your life. He turned me to this life! Every single day, he was there. He was Kiran’s most special person even after he died! He made me felt useless! Like I could never protect Kiran with my hands!”

 

“So this is your answer? To kill everyone around Kiran with those hands? Were they ever to protect Kiran or just your insecurities? If Kiran saw you now, they would hate you because everything you have done is rooted in your selfishness. That’s the difference between you and the kid. Nino is trying her best to protect Kiran and Kiran’s friends. You, on the other hand, are a monster that cannot think about what Kiran truly wants from a companion. It’s only a matter of time before Kiran sees what you are underneath all of that fake emo shit, and when they do, they will be pissed.”

 

Tharja snorted. “Unfortunately for you, Kiran won’t be here for another d—” She was cut off as a white ball of fluff flew into her face, clawing whatever it could as the mage screamed. The white fluff retreated to Nino’s side.

 

Nino’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Feh? But why are you here?” Feh pointed to the access point of the roof and hooted. Nino could hear someone’s footsteps climbing up.

 

“Feh! Wait up!” Everyone immediately knew who it was. “Feh, you crazy owl! There’s nothing wrong with this new castle! Alfonse told me it would boost my experience!” Kiran stopped and stared in horror at the scene that had unfolded. The bodies were littered everywhere. The main culprits were covered in blood and sweat. Alfonse’s swords were tinged in red. The tactician knelt on the ground as they started to vomit. They struggled to speak.

 

“A-alfonse, y-you…”

 

“Kiran, please, I can explain!”

 

“You really did kill Reinhardt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey yall i wrote this before gustav turned out to be an asshole so like always im right


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